And I don't claim to be a pop music aficionado. I don't know shit about it. Fan wise, lifestyle wise and image wise I find the genre pretty awful, but I can't deny the music's simple catchyness. I don't really give a shit what it is, if it sounds good then I will enjoy it. I'm sure there are plenty of other pop artists I would love, but the genre of music doesn't have enough depth to it to make me care enough to find the good. The only special thing about Lady Gaga (my guess) is that she is insanely popular, so most people even within anti-pop scenes would be exposed to her music.

By this logic, I should be recommending you tons of AOR/Melodic Rock bands with catchy songs.